Brandon

Special Guest Post – Author Kia Zi Shiru

February 15, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Thank you so much for having me here today, Brandon. Today I’ll be talking a bit about how my own life and the life of people I know or read about got mixed up within the writing of the Black Sheep Trilogy.

Black Sheep over all deals with a few over reaching themes: abuse, self mutilation, depression and, most of all, love. What I’ve experienced within the LGBT community is that almost everyone has to deal with these subjects either for themselves or because of friends at one point or another. They are strong themes and I might have overestimated the impact some of these things have on one’s life and how to express them properly within my writing. [Read more…] about Special Guest Post – Author Kia Zi Shiru

Interview with New LGBT Author Edward Jakab

February 12, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Welcome first time author, Edward Jakab to the blog. Since it is so close to Valentine’s Day I thought we would talk about young love, and Mr. Jakab’s first book, Fearless, is about just that.

B: Tell us about how you got started and where Fearless came from?

E: I first started writing screenplays; they were always about this guy named Jacob Moore who is based on me. I wrote the book mainly because the story needed to be told. I just kept going back to those couple of moments in my life when everything was great with my first boyfriend, but then that took me to the time I told him about the other guy and how guilty I felt. But the other guy, he was the one. I know people say that all the time about everyone, but I truly feel he was the one, and he still is in some ways. [Read more…] about Interview with New LGBT Author Edward Jakab

LGBT Music Monday – Elliott Alexzander

February 11, 2013 By Brandon 1 Comment

A vibrant young artist, Elliott Alexzander will be someone to watch. Please note that he will not be captured within the confines of your gender stereotypes and uses multiple outlets for his personal expression. He says that when he performs he wants you to walk away feeling happy, sad, confused, and maybe even a little ambitious, and you can feel that with the massive amounts of energy he throws off.

In his own words: “I believe creativity should have no limits. One thing I would love to bring attention to through my music is the fact that music is actually changing, becoming more refined and automated. I believe as a true artist I have the task of cohesively embracing modern technology in my music but also honoring the skill and talent it takes to maneuver an instrument, such as my voice. What I want more than anything in the world is to simply feel connected with people. I want a story that will be remembered forever and inspire generations.” [Read more…] about LGBT Music Monday – Elliott Alexzander

Interview with LGBT Author Gregory G. Allen

February 8, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

Some of you may recognize Mr. Allen from a previous post. He’s an outstanding author, a good friend, and he has a new bestselling book out about fatherhood which we’re talking about here today.

B: Welcome, Greg. It’s a pleasure to have you back on the blog.

Greg: Thanks, I’m really excited to be talking to you about my latest book COOL SIDE OF THE PILLOW. You’ve always been so supportive of my work and I really appreciate that.

B: Cool Side appears to signal a change for you. Can you tell me about that?

Special Guest Post from Author Charlie Cochran

February 5, 2013 By Brandon 9 Comments

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Albert Kennedy Trust, although my association with them started off for the daftest of reasons. I mean, as a huge fan of Archie Kennedy (from the Hornblower TV series) that name was always going to catch my eye. When I read about Albert, a runaway from a children’s home who fell to his death from the top of a car park in Manchester, having suffered rejection and abuse from society, I decided I had to support the cause of getting GLBT youngsters off the streets and into supportive families.

You can imagine my delight when I was putting together my Christmas present wish list (which is always book heavy) and found Canal Street Gothic, by David Thame, in support of AKT. It was described as a collection of ten stories set in and around Manchester’s gay village revealing the gothic truths beneath the shiny surfaces of the twenty-first century city. I had high hopes, but I’ve had them dashed before, on the harsh reality of blurbs overselling their books. So I was delighted to find this book lived up to expectations. [Read more…] about Special Guest Post from Author Charlie Cochran

LGBT Music Monday – Matty Barbato

February 4, 2013 By Brandon Leave a Comment

He’s baaaack!

You might remember Matty Barbato from his days on stage when he did an eight month national tour of the gay musical BATHHOUSE. Originally from Rochester, NY, Matt moved to Atlanta when he was a child, and with a few brief stints in some other metropolitan areas, he has now settled in midtown.

He has just come back to the stage and is now performing at the Sing for Your Life competition in Atlanta and is in the top eight as of this writing. He says in his future, no matter the outcome of SFYL, we can expect to see him again and again. Music has become a renewed passion and we should expect to see some original narrative songs from him soon. [Read more…] about LGBT Music Monday – Matty Barbato